Cai Lingyun watched her eyes and felt a stifling sensation grappling his heart. He just felt relieved that the supposed boyfriend was nowhere here. But Ai's words said otherwise.
The waiter brought the coffee mug, and Cai Lingyun thanked him. He subconsciously held the mug handle a little tighter.
Ai nodded. "Yes. He is my boyfriend. Liu Jun."
At that moment, he felt as if he was dropped into icy, cold water. He had already heard and seen it from Guiying but listening to it from Ai's mouth felt a sharp jab to his heart.
"So it's really true…"
She looked up and furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"
He looked at her and said, "I mean, he is the Sky CEO, right?"
"A-and that picture in the library…"
"Oh. A college student asked if she could take one," she smiled.
"Ai. You…are you really sure about this?"
She blinked. "What do you mean?" Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel•fire.net
"I mean your relationship. Isn't it going too fast? I don't know how you and Liu Jun got…closer, but I don't think he is not right for you. Ai, you two are from totally different worlds!"
Ai frowned. "It's not different at all. We are actually from the same world. We have so many things in common. That's how we slowly bonded in the first place."
He shook his head. "You are not getting it, Ai. I don't mean by your likes and dislikes. Your families, your status. There is a whole world of a wide gap between you two. He is from a wealthy and influential family.
How can you ever match up to him? Do you even know how young masters like him act? He might be infatuated with you right now, but he will dump you the very next moment he finds a more suitable woman! They don't treat people from our class with high regard, certainly not for marriage!"
Ai narrowed her eyes. "You are totally wrong, bro Lingyun. I know you might be worried about me. But I know Jun. That's why I chose him. I also know his brothers and cousin," she thought about Yunru, Jian and Nian, "They are far from your assumed image of young masters.
If you ever meet them, you won't even recognize that they are from any rich family. They are just like us. I am not saying there aren't such families that discriminate. But Jun or his family isn't one of them."
He became more restless. "Ai, you are getting blinded by him. What has he promised that you are acting ? Money? Status?"
"No," she calmly stated. "He has promised me a life of love, warmth and protection. That's what I want. I am not chasing after his money or status."
"No. I am not accusing you, Ai. I am saying that all that glitters is not gold."
"But the love that sparkles in his eyes for me is."
"Bro Lingyun. You cannot judge Jun without even meeting him. That's not fair. You are just imposing your assumed image upon him."
"Then what about the whole plagiarism scandal?" Cai Lingyun pointed out. "You chose such a person to be your boyfriend who brought you into such a mess!? Your whole career could have gotten ruined!"
She seriously countered. "That was my mistake. Jun only reacted that was in my best interests, and that was expected. He didn't put me in any trouble. In fact, my lie troubled him and Sky."
"Is that why you left Dream High? Because of him? Because he is your boyfriend?" He felt bitter and uncomfortable. "Do you know how shocking it was for me to know that you left Dream High? Guiying and you always stayed together. High school, starting your writing career and then you two joined Dream High together.
Suddenly, you left all of that for a man?"
Ai's pupils ever so slightly flickered. "No, bro Lingyun. I didn't leave all of that just for Jun. It's because I realized that Guiying and I are not high school students anymore. It's fun to imagine that we would live doing everything together. It was an innocent wish.
But it's impossible to achieve. Sometimes…distance is more necessary than togetherness. Sometimes, that's what saves a friendship rather than destroying it."
She trembled thinking about the past life and the grief she had gone through.
Ai said, "I will leave. Xing Bi must be looking for me."
His eyes widened. "Wait! Ai, if Jun is really so special and good that you claim him to be, then why isn't he here with you now? Was it because he thought it's too low for the Sky CEO to be a part of this fest for a small seminar?" He expressed with denunciation.
"It's because I had to come with the next flight. There is no way that Jun won't be there where his Ai is," A chilling voice immediately dropped the temperature of the cafe, filling it with a freeze.
Jun's dark brown and angry gaze fell on the back of the man who was seemingly pestering Ai and refusing to let go of her. His finger bones cracked with an itch to grab his neck and bang his head on the floor until he bled to his death.
Ai looked up, and the whole dimness from just a moment ago dissipated as if it was never even there. "Jun!"
Her small face lit up with delight, and she blitzed her way to hug him. "You are here."
He narrowed his eyes at her and pinched her cheek, hugging her back. "I am. And the first thing I see is you having coffee with a strange man I have never seen before. I think you would have figured out my jealousy meter by now and how I absolutely detest somebody else hovering around you."
She defended herself. "I just accompanied him. I didn't have coffee with him. I was just waiting for Xing Bi."
He sneered. "And that's supposed to cajole me somehow? Clearly, you still don't understand how my jealousy works exactly."